Thunderstorms
by quiple
Summary: She knew it was an irrational fear, but she couldn’t help but be scared of the white lightning that flashed brilliantly across the sky and the resounding boom that followed.


**A/N: Hi all! This is the first thing I've written in three weeks and to be honest, this was written during church while the priest was saying the homily. Boring. Oh well. Anyway, there was a thunderstorm raging outside and this just popped into my head. Thanks to OVERKILL-MAX for beta-reading as usual. Hope you enjoy this random one-shot!**

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Claire hated thunderstorms.

She knew it was an irrational fear, but she couldn't help but be scared of the white lightning that flashed brilliantly across the sky and the resounding _boom _that followed. It was pouring outside; the streets outside her window were flooding. When she was little, she used to dive under the covers of her bed and cuddle up to the multitude of soft toys that she owned. Her parents refused to coddle her and told her she would grow out of her fear of thunderstorms as the years passed. But now she was 20 years old, indestructible, and still afraid of them. She was cowering under the covers on the couch in her shared apartment, wishing her girlfriend would come home soon. Another fork of lightning streaked across the heavens and she slammed her eyes shut as another loud crack of thunder rumbled overhead. She was too busy trying to block out the sonorous clapping from the sky to notice the door of the apartment opening and closing. Claire yelped when she felt somebody gently pull back the top part of the sheet that was covering her head. She peeked out from under the covers and sighed in relief; Elle was finally home.

'Awww, you scared again?' Elle quipped, earning a soft punch to the shoulder.

'Shut up! It's not funny' Claire pouted, propping herself up onto her elbows.

Elle smiled and gently brushed Claire's bangs out of her face. 'You're adorable, you know that?'

'I've been told many, many times by you.' Claire smiled back and whispered, 'I've missed you.'

The older girl smiled even wider and leaned in to brush her lips softly against Claire's. Elle laughed as Claire broke the kiss and dove back under the covers when another crack of thunder sounded. 'Shut up. It's not funny.' Claire mumbled from under the sheet.

Elle peeled the blanket off Claire again and said 'how come you're scared of the lightning out there', she jerked her thumb towards the window, 'and not the ones,' she held up her hand and created a blue sphere of electricity, 'in here?'

Claire rolled her eyes and replied 'well I know you wouldn't hurt me, but the mean lightning out there might.'

Elle snorted. 'Mean lightning? You're indestructible. You can't get hurt.'

'Yeah, but still…' Claire trailed off.

Elle raised an eyebrow skeptically but let it go. 'Well, I'm going to take a shower and then go to bed after that. Are you going to keep cowering under the covers on the couch or are you going to join me tonight?'

Claire made an indignant noise and exclaimed 'I am so not cowering!'

'Sure, sure. You're not cowering. Whatever you say' chortled Elle.

The younger blonde gave Elle a death stare but replied 'no, I think I'm going to stay here tonight. You know, to try and get over my fear of thunderstorms.'

Elle rolled her eyes, remembering what had happened last time. It wasn't even ten minutes before Claire came barreling through the door to their room and she wouldn't let go of her until the next morning. 'Ok then, you have fun now' Elle said, kissing Claire's forehead before standing up and walking away.

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_This is ridiculous, _thought Claire, _why the hell am I doing this? _The storm had somehow managed to grow more violent and the temperature had dropped to near freezing. Claire shivered under her thin blanket as the thunder cracked again, making her jump and swear under her breath. She had forgotten why she decided to do this in the first place when her comfort and refuge was in the room a couple of meters away. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky for a few milliseconds before another loud crack of thunder followed not long after. Forcing open her eyes, the young blonde jumped off the couch and ran to their bedroom. She peeked inside and saw Elle sitting up against the headboard, reading a book. The older blonde looked up when she heard the door creak and she smiled, leaning over to the bedside table and picking up her black iPod. After clicking the center button, she grinned and said 'twenty six minutes and forty nine seconds. It's a new record.'

Claire rolled her eyes and yelped as another large bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the loudest roll of thunder yet. The windows shook and Claire couldn't take it any longer. She dived under the covers of the bed, flung herself on top of Elle's warm body and locked her arms around the other girl's waist. Elle merely smiled and kissed the top of her head before picking up her book again and running a hand gently through the long, blonde tendrils of Claire's hair. It didn't take long before the soft and steady thumping of Elle's heartbeat made her drowsy and she yawned. Elle stopped reading and looked down at Claire.

'Tired?' she asked.

Claire nodded and Elle marked the page of her book, put it down on the bedside table and turned the lamp off. She then slid down the bed until she was lying down and Claire readjusted herself so she was more comfortable. 'Goodnight Claire-Bear. I love you' Elle whispered.

The younger blonde leaned up to give Elle a goodnight kiss and replied 'I love you too.' Claire settled her head back on Elle's chest, and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat lulled her into a peaceful sleep.

Maybe, just maybe, thunderstorms weren't so bad after all.

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**Thanks for reading! Reviews are love *hopeful face***


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